Former George Santos campaign treasurer Nancy Marks asks for sentencing delay, court papers show
Former George Santos campaign treasurer Nancy Marks walks out of federal court in Central Islip in October. Credit: Rick Kopstein
Ex-Long Island Congressman George Santos’ former campaign treasurer, who pleaded guilty to conspiring with Santos to file fraudulent campaign finance reports, has asked the court to delay her scheduled sentencing for seven months.
Nancy Marks, who pleaded guilty to conspiracy to defraud the United States in October, is scheduled to be sentenced April 12.
The new requested sentencing date in mid-November would be after Santos’ upcoming trial, where Marks, of Shirley, could serve as a key witness for prosecutors.
While Santos is scheduled to go on trial in September, Santos' attorney and prosecutors have said previously they are engaging in plea talks.
Marks’ attorney, Ray Perini, of Hauppauge, did not explain the reason for the requested delay in the letter. He also requested in his letter that his client’s presentence investigation report “be held in abeyance.”
Perini, who said previously that his client does not have a cooperation agreement with the government, declined to comment on the sentencing delay when reached by phone. When asked if his client was planning to testify at Santos’ upcoming trial, Perini said: “If she is called to testify, she will do so truthfully.”
John Marzulli, a spokesman for the Eastern District of New York, declined to comment on the request.
U.S. District Court Judge Joanna Seybert is likely to approve the delay, given that both the prosecution and defense are in agreement.
Marks is facing a guidelines sentence of between 3½ to 4 years in federal prison, the judge said previously.
Marks resigned as Santos’ campaign treasurer in January 2023. Prosecutors said Marks conspired with Santos to falsely inflate the campaign's donations with nonexistent loans in order to meet a $250,000 threshold for matching funds. Prosecutors also said they falsely claimed Santos lent $500,000 to his campaign.
Santos himself has pleaded not guilty to a 23-count superseding indictment charging him with fraudulently receiving unemployment benefits authorized during the COVID-19 pandemic, lying on congressional disclosure forms, filing fraudulent fundraising reports and stealing thousands of dollars from his campaign supporters by charging their credit cards without authorization.
Santos, a Republican who came into Congress under a cloud after published reports that he lied about or embellished key parts of his professional and personal resume, was expelled from Congress on Dec. 1 after a House Ethics Committee report found “substantial evidence” that he engaged in unlawful conduct.
Democrat Tom Suozzi, who defeated Republican Mazi Melesa Pilip in the Feb. 13 special election to fill Santos' term ending Dec. 31, was sworn in Wednesday to represent New York's 3rd Congressional District.
Suozzi said he will seek a full two-year term in November.
Nicole Fuller is Newsday's senior criminal justice reporter. She began working at Newsday in 2012 and previously covered local government.
